PREVIOUS SPEAKERS’ LETTERS

2023 HOD

April 19, 2023

Fellow Delegates

The following is a detailed report on the election process for the 2023 MSSNY House of Delegates.

Credentialing of all delegates who wish to vote in this years elections for Officers, Councilors, Trustees, and AMA Delegates must be completed by 4pm Friday, April 21. In addition, credentialed delegates must present themselves to the registration desk (Irvington Room) and retrieve their badges before the end of the Saturday afternoon recess of the House. Once a delegate has checked in and received their badge, they will be on the email list to vote in the elections. Elections will be done online using the service electionrunner.com. An automated email from [email protected] will be sent to each credentialed and checked in delegate with a link to vote, unique voter ID, and unique voter key that can only be used once.

Voting will begin at 5pm Saturday evening and end at 7am Sunday morning April 23. Election results will be posted at the house by 9am Sunday. In the event of a vacancy created by the initial election, nominations for those vacancies can be made. Nominated delegates that have been previously vetted are the only delegates that can be nominated (prefatory nominees) for any vacant position. That election (should there be one) will follow immediately.

Also, please note your leadership is asking that a professional posture be maintained during campaigning and that cell phone communications to fellow delegates for campaign purposes should only occur with the permission of the contacted individual.

Please note: Let’s behave like the well-educated, compassionate, intelligent professionals that we are.

April 14, 2023

Fellow delegates

Important Dates

On Tuesday, April 18 7PM The Rules Committee will meet to:

• Determine whether or not a late submission was justified as a late resolution (received after the 5pm March 5^th deadline). Only the author of any late resolution will be invited to speak on the issue of why the resolution was not submitted on time. The merit of the resolution in general is not a discussion point. The link will be sent by email.
• Final official vetting of all nominees for AMA Delegation and for Officers, Councilors, and Trustees. The complete list will be officially posted on the MSSNY website on Wednesday April 19^th.
• Finalize election details.
• Order of Reference Committee Presentation

Late resolutions that are deemed appropriate for the business of this year’s house will be inserted into the appropriate reference committee report for house action. Any resolutions that are presented after 5pm on April 17 will be considered emergency resolutions and can only be presented to the house with a ¾ vote of acceptance by the house.

Any delegate who wishes to vote in the elections must be credentialed as a delegate no later than 4pm, Friday April 21. Any delegate credentialed after that deadline will not receive the electionrunner email to vote!

New Delegate Orientation Friday April 14 at 6pm
The Vice Speaker will be holding a new delegate orientation over Zoom to assist any new delegates. All are invited to attend. Click the link to register.
https://mssny.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwtduisrDMsGdKuhj2Q4DWcL5gWy7g8tJe7

Friday, April 21
7:00 AM to 6:00 PM – Exhibitor Gallery – Westchester Marriott Grand Assembly
7:30 AM to 5:00 PM – Continuing Medical Education Courses – Grand Ballroom D/E

The hotel location is a viewing area ONLY. These courses are VIRTUAL, and your participation can be done anywhere with an internet connection.

12:00 PM to 3:00 PM – RFS and MSS Poster Symposium –– Grand Ballroom A-C
3:00 PM to 5:00 PM Women’s Physician Meeting – Westchester Ballroom B
4:00 PM to 5:00 PM Advocacy with Congress member Michael Lawler

Hosted By MSSNYPAC – Grand Ballroom D/E

MSSNY Sponsored CME Events (click the CME event to register)

• 7:30AM Public Health Challenges of Three Respiratory Illnesses
• 8:40AM The Sum of Us: How Inequities in Health, Wealth and Education Negatively Impact All of Us
• 9:50AM MSSNY’s Peer to Peer (P2P) Program
• 11:00AM The Impact of Military Sexual Trauma (MST) on Veterans

CME DAY at the 2023 MSSNY House of Delegates via ZOOM 

• 1:00PM Addressing the Needs of Your LGBQT+ Patients. 
• 2:00PM Effective Use and Supervision of Advance Practice Providers 
• 3:00PM 2023 Healthcare Law Review 

Saturday, April 22
7:00 AM to 6:00 PM – Exhibitor Gallery – Grand Assembly
8:00 AM to 4:30 PM – House of Delegates convenes – Grand Ballroom
6:30 PM – Ceremony of Presidents – Tarrytown Ballroom
7:30 PM – Presidents Dinner Dance – Grand Ballroom

Sunday, Sunday April 23
7:00 AM – Exhibitor Gallery – Grand Assembly
8:00 AM – HOD General Session – Grand Ballroom
TBA – MSSNY Council – Tarrytown Ballroom

Delegates should be aware that we are planning for session on Sunday morning. While we will make every effort to complete discussion of the HOD business on Saturday, we can make no guarantee and we will not stifle discussion to achieve a Saturday adjournment. The House must recess by 4:30 on Saturday so that the hotel has adequate time to reset the ballroom for dinner.  This is a hard stop and shortens the time we have to discuss ref com reports and other business.

Be well, Be safe!

April 7, 2023

Fellow Delegates:

The MSSNY House of Delegates meeting is two weeks away!

The reference committee reports will be posted on or before Wednesday, April 12. We want to thank all the members of the House who serve on these reference committees and want to thank the members of the House who attended those hearings and provided testimony.

Prefatory Nominations
The deadline for prefatory nominations, should there be any, for candidates for Officers, Councilors, Trustees and AMA Delegates is April 12 at 5pm.

All candidates must fill out the following three forms to be considered:

Candidate statement and CV upload- https://form.jotform.com/230675391836060
MSSNY Employment Disclosure Form – https://form.jotform.com/220858491992066
Conflict of Interest – https://form.jotform.com/220858735488067

At least 10 delegate endorsements are required.
Candidates can be endorsed using the following form:
https://form.jotform.com/mreyesmssny/candidate-endorsement-form

Elections
MSSNY officers, councilors, trustees, and AMA Delegates will take place electronically via electionrunner.com on Saturday, April 22. All delegates need to be sure their email on file can be checked from their own phone or computer from the House to vote. Only delegates that sign in person at registration will receive a link to vote. There can be no nominations presented from the floor for anyone that has not been vetted by April 12 at 5pm

All Delegate credentialing must be FINAL by 4:00PM on Friday, April 21.

We have been providing information about the events taking place from April 21-23, but felt it was worth confirming that schedule:

Presidents’ Dinner Dance – Due Friday, April 7 The dinner dance will take place on Saturday, April 22. Everyone must RSVP for this event in order to be provided with a ticket. If you have not yet responded, please click the following link to RSVP –Presidents Dinner Dance
For those who require it, Kosher meals may be ordered through the RSVP form link shown above.

New Delegate Orientation Friday April 14 at 6pm
The Vice Speaker will be holding a new delegate orientation over Zoom to assist any new delegates. All are invited to attend. Click the link to register.
https://mssny.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwtduisrDMsGdKuhj2Q4DWcL5gWy7g8tJe7

Friday, April 21
7:00 AM to 6:00 PM – Exhibitor Gallery – Westchester Marriott Grand Assembly
7:30 AM to 5:00 PM – Continuing Medical Education Courses – Grand Ballroom D/E
The hotel location is a viewing area ONLY. These courses are VIRTUAL,
and your participation can be done anywhere with an internet connection.
12:00 PM to 3:00 PM – RFS and MSS Poster Symposium –– Grand Ballroom A-C
3:00 PM to 5:00 PM Women’s Physician Meeting – Westchester Ballroom B
4:00 PM to 5:00 PM Advocacy with Congress member Michael Lawler
Hosted By MSSNYPAC – Grand Ballroom D/E

MSSNY Sponsored CME Events (click the CME event to register)

• 7:30AM Public Health Challenges of Three Respiratory Illnesses
• 8:40AM The Sum of Us: How Inequities in Health, Wealth and Education Negatively Impact All of Us
• 9:50AM MSSNY’s Peer to Peer (P2P) Program
• 11:00AM The Impact of Military Sexual Trauma (MST) on Veterans

CME DAY at the 2023 MSSNY House of Delegates via ZOOM

• 1:00PMAddressing the Needs of Your LGBQT+ Patients.
• 2:00PM Effective Use and Supervision of Advance Practice Providers
• 3:00PM 2023 Healthcare Law Review

Click Here to register for any the MLMIC CME Events

Saturday, April 22
7:00 AM to 6:00 PM – Exhibitor Gallery – Grand Assembly
8:00 AM to 4:30 PM – House of Delegates convenes – Grand Ballroom
6:30 PM – Ceremony of Presidents – Tarrytown Ballroom
7:30 PM – Presidents Dinner Dance – Grand Ballroom

Sunday, Sunday April 23
7:00 AM – Exhibitor Gallery – Grand Assembly
8:00 AM – HOD General Session – Grand Ballroom
TBA – MSSNY Council – Tarrytown Ballroom

Delegates should be aware that we are planning for session on Sunday morning. While we will make every effort to complete discussion of the HOD business on Saturday, we can make no guarantee and we will not stifle discussion to achieve a Saturday adjournment. The House must recess by 4:30 on Saturday so that the hotel has adequate time to reset the ballroom for dinner. This is a hard stop and shortens the time we have to discuss ref com reports and other business.

Best wishes for the holiday you are celebrating this week. Be well, stay safe!

March, 2023

Fellow Delegates

The 2023 house of delegates is rapidly approaching, and your speakers are finalizing preparations for the big event. This speakers letter details the nominations and election process for the AMA delegation and for Officers, Councilors, and Trustees. The rules committee has met, and the following document explains this process and indicates key deadline dates that all delegates must be aware of. Please review and mark your calendars accordingly.

1.         ELECTIONS
Once again, given this year’s modified meeting of the House of Delegates and policy adopted by the 2020 session of the MSSNY House of Delegates which requires shortening the length of House to two days, time devoted in the past to the election process is no longer an option. Therefore, the committee again recommends suspending the 2016 standing rules on floor nominations, except for the requirement that all prefatory (formerly floor) nominations be supported by a minimum of 10 delegates, and proposes adoption of the following rules and procedures for the 2023 elections that are consistent with the MSSNY Bylaws:

A.         Election of the members of the New York Delegation to the AMA
The 10 candidates receiving the highest number of votes cast shall be elected Delegate, the 10 candidates receiving the next highest number of votes shall be elected Alternate Delegate. Candidates are also required to submit a statement of qualification for the position sought, ten delegate signatures/endorsements, a CV or bio, and any conflict of interest they may have.

The deadline for prefatory nominations, should there be any, for candidates for the New York Delegation to the AMA shall be Friday, March 17 at 5 PM April 12 at 5pm.

Election of the Members of the New York Delegation to the AMA shall be electronic. Since the House of Delegates elects half the number of AMA Delegates each year, delegates will be instructed to vote for up to 10 candidates for a full two-year term which will commence in January of 2024. Per MSSNY Bylaws, as this is an odd numbered year, therefore, one resident/fellow physician shall be elected as a Delegate and one medical student shall be elected as an Alternate Delegate each of whom shall serve a one-year term in 2024.

Component societies of the House of Delegates should take note that the deadline for credentialing delegates for voting for the AMA Delegation will be Thursday, March 30 by 5 PM Friday, April 21 at 4pm.

B.         Election of Officers, Councilors, and Trustees
Election of Officers, Councilors, Trustees, and AMA delegates will take place at the live HOD meeting in Tarrytown.  Those listed as nominees in the Report of the Nominating Committee will remain on the ballot for the position indicated.

Those wishing to be considered for any position that either exists or may become available as a result of the election must place their name into consideration by complying with the same requirements as other nominees (see below). These requirements apply to anyone who anticipates becoming a candidate for any office including an office that may become vacant.

The deadline for any candidate to announce plans to run as a prefatory nominee will be Wednesday, April 12 at 5 PM. Background materials for publication on the MSSNY website must be submitted by this deadline in order to be considered; this includes the candidate statement about their qualifications, ten delegate endorsements, conflict of interest disclosure and a bio/CV received. This deadline allows adequate time for the ballot to be updated and published one week prior to the opening of the House of Delegates. There will be no nominations ‘from the floor’ for anyone who has not been vetted by the Committee on Rules and Credentials. Therefore, again, anyone who wishes to be considered MUST be announced for any office – including those offices that could potentially become vacated.

Candidates planning to run: Click here to complete all the forms required

Delegates looking to endorse a candidate: Click here to complete the form

Credentialing for the purposes of voting in elections for Officers, Councilors, and Trustees must be completed by 4 PM on Friday, April 21. 

As noted in our Floor Nomination policy, given the extensive time delegates have to evaluate the nominating committee recommendations and new nominees posted on the website, last minute nominations do not allow sufficient time for voting members of the House to properly evaluate these candidates and their qualifications.

The committee wishes to remind members of the House that all candidates for election should comply with MSSNY policies 207.976.

207.976    Informed Choices for MSSNY Elections
MSSNY will provide all voting members of the House of Delegates with the following information about candidates nominated for election to the Board of Trustees, the Council, Officers, and the AMA Delegation: Medical School, Residency/Fellowship, Specialty, Hospital Affiliations, Practice Setting, and Prior Experience in Organized Medicine. MSSNY will provide candidates nominated for election to the Board of Trustees, the Council, Officers, and the AMA Delegation the opportunity to provide a written statement for distribution to all voting delegates.  (HOD 2015-209)

In the event that the election process for Officers, Councilors, and Trustees creates an office that is unfilled, the vacancy will be filled by the House of Delegates from the list of those who have indicated interest in that specific position, fulfilled the requirements for consideration as a candidate, and have been vetted by the Committee on Rules and Credentials. Those potential candidates will have their materials included on the MSSNY website with other candidates. No additional candidates can be nominated, nor will they be considered.

Rules for Election to Newly Created Vacancies of Officers, Councilors, or Trustees:

~In the event that the initial election process for Officers, Councilors, Trustees creates a position that is unfilled, only candidates who have indicated interest, fulfilled requirements and have been vetted by the Committee on Rules and Credentials will be considered for election to the vacancy. There will be NO opportunity for additional candidates to ask for consideration if they have not anticipated this possibility.
~Materials for these candidates also must be submitted by the deadline of April 12 at 5 PM
~If election for a vacant position is uncontested, the House will vote by acclamation.
~If election for a vacant position has more than one candidate, the election will be conducted by electionrunner.com on Sunday morning. Ballots will be distributed by email to credentialed delegates with a limited window for voting to be announced by the Speaker. In the event that more than two candidates run for a vacant position, and no candidate receives a clear majority vote, a runoff election will be held between the highest vote recipients.
~The election result shall be announced as soon as practical after balloting closes. The candidate receiving a majority of votes cast shall be elected.

2.         CONDUCTING THE BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES

Reference Committee hearings will be conducted virtually by the following schedule:
House Committee on Bylaws – Thursday, March 23, 6 – 9 PM
Governmental Affairs & Legal Matters A – Saturday, March 25, 9 – 12 noon
Governmental Affairs & Legal Matters B – Sunday, March 26, 1 – 4 PM
Public Health and Education – Sunday, March 26, 9 – 12 noon
Reports of Officers and Administrative Matters – Monday, March 27, 7 – 10 PM
Socio-Medical Economics – Saturday, March 25, 1 – 4 PM

In order to participate, everyone will need to REGISTER for each individual hearing to ensure receipt of the link to participate. Registration information will be posted after the resolutions have been made available.

Registration will be required so the Reference Committee Chairs can identify who is speaking, resolution authors, and conflicts of interest. A 90 second limitation on testimony will be in effect.  Separate registration is required for EACH reference committee hearing and is unique to the individual registered.

Reference committee reports shall be posted to the MSSNY website no later than Wednesday, April 12.

Details of the CME programs on Friday April 21 will be announced in the next speakers’ letter along with a schedule of the events of the House. Your speakers are looking forward to productive ref com hearings and a great House of Delegates. With all your help, this should be within our reach.

February 17, 2023

Fellow delegates!

The MSSNY House of Delegates will be held at the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown, NY. Events associated with the House of Delegates begin on Friday April 21. The House of Delegates will open at 8 am on Saturday April 22^nd and must be concluded by noon Sunday, April 23. The link to book to your hotel is now available at the MSSNY House of Delegates website at www.mssny.org/hod.

Reference Committee appointments have now been finalized by your speaker. The complete list of Convention, House, and Reference Committee Members can now be viewed on the MSSNY House of Delegates website under General Information. The virtual reference committee hearings will be held during the weekend of March 24-26 with specific times yet to be determined.

The deadline for submission of Resolutions to be presented to the 2023 House of Delegate is due Friday March 5th by 5 PM. This is a firm deadline and items of business received after that day and time will be forwarded to the Rules & Credentials Committee to be considered as late resolutions. Please be sure to read the resolution guidelines and send your resolutions to the Michael Bartlett [email protected]. Michael is the associate director of legislation and policy here at MSSNY.

The Report of the Nominating Committee is now available to view on the MSSNY homepage. The bios and vision statements for each candidate will be posted as they are received.

Starting today “from the floor” nominations will be accepted. Any delegate who wishes to be considered for MSSNY Officer, MSSNY Councilor or the AMA Delegation “from the floor” must:

1. Provide written notice of such intention and written support of candidacy from TEN (10) MSSNY HOD delegates.
2. A mission or intention statement.
3. A conflict-of-interest statement should there be one.

Deadline for submission of nominations will be posted in the next speakers letter along with details regarding the election process following the initial meeting of the RULES committee in early March. This information must be forwarded to the speakers’ office at MSSNY headquarters by verified email or letter. Letters can be mailed to 865 Merrick Ave, Ste 30S, Westbury, NY 11590 or emailed to Michael Reyes [email protected]

For additional information regarding the House of Delegates please visit www.mssny.org/hod. Details of the House activities including CME will be posted in future speakers’ letters as they become available. Please note district caucusing must be completed before the House meets. Meeting rooms for caucusing will be unavailable at the Westchester Marriott.

We are working hard to make your house of delegates efficient and productive!

January 25, 2023

The MSSNY House of Delegates is 3 months away.

Your speakers and staff have been hard at work getting the business of the 2023 House of Delegates organized. Here are important reminders to remember as we get closer to the House.

Delegates

The current list of 2023 credentialed delegates have been posted to the House of Delegates website at https://www.mssny.org/HOD. Delegates are still being accepted and should be submitted to Michael Reyes

The reference committee members have been appointed by the speaker. Once appointed members accept their positions, it will be posted on the HOD (House of Delegates) website. However, delegates may still request to serve on the reference committees as some appointed members may choose to decline the position. Reference committee requests will be accepted until Friday Feb 3rd.

The reference committee hearings will look to be held virtually on the weekend of March 24-26. Actual dates and times are still yet to be determined

Resolutions

Resolutions you or your organization want to be considered at the HOD are due by 5 PM on Wednesday, March 1. This is a firm deadline and items of business received after that day and time will be forwarded to the Rules & Credentials Committee for consideration and recommendation.

We ask that resolutions be properly formatted, well thought out and constructed, and any research to document the author’s resolved clause is included. This is a substantial help to reference committee staff.  Authors should include policy citations from MSSNY’s position statements but remember – resolutions that repeat existing policy will likely wind up on the reaffirmation calendar! Delegates can find helpful information on how to properly construct and format resolutions on staging.mssny.org/HOD

Send your resolutions to Michael Bartlett. Early submissions are very much appreciated.

Hotel Information

Information regarding hotel reservations and the link to access rooms is not yet available.  We will ensure that you have that information as soon as it is available so you can reserve a hotel room.

Continuing Medical Education

Continuing Medical Education courses are being developed for Friday, April 21 and will begin early in the day, continue until at least noon and then MLMIC will be offering programs of their own in the afternoon. All CME (Continuing Medical Education) will be conducted virtually, however, for those who wish, the opportunity to view on a big screen at the hotel will be available. CME information will be posted on the HOD website once available

Physician Advocacy Day

Physician Advocacy Day is on March 14. This is your opportunity to hear from your legislators and interact with them.  It will start at 8 AM and registration is required for the event. If you have not already done so, please click here to register to participate in the annual event that supports New York physicians and our issues!

All our best,

December, 2022

Planning for the 2023 House of Delegates continues and we write to provide you with some additional dates which you may want to place on your calendar.

The House of Delegates will begin promptly at 8 AM on Saturday, April 22, 2023 and will continue until late afternoon. General session will take place in the Grand Ballroom of the Westchester Marriott Hotel in Tarrytown. At that time, we will discuss the completed reference committee reports and the recommendations made within them. While we will make every effort to complete discussion of our ref com reports on Saturday, we will not stifle discussion to
achieve adjournment on Saturday.

The schedule of HOD deadlines and activities thus far – which could change as necessity requires – is as follows:

We ask that resolutions submitted are properly formatted, well thought out and constructed, and any research to document the author’s resolved clause is included. This is a substantial help to reference committee members and staff. Authors should include policy citations from MSSNY’s position statements as well.

With our very best wishes for the holidays and the New Year. Thank you for all you do every day. Be safe, healthy, and happy.

October 21, 2022

Your MSSNY Speakers are looking ahead to our 2023 House of Delegates meeting and are already making plans. We write to share with you important deadlines and logistical information so that you can plan appropriately.

The 2023 House of Delegates will be similar in structure to this past meeting. It will be held at the Westchester Marriott Hotel in Tarrytown. While there is much that still needs to be planned and organized, we anticipate CME events on Friday, April 21 and the House to be called to order on Saturday (8 AM!) April 22.

The Ceremony of Presidents and the Presidents’ Dinner Dance will be Saturday night. Based on our ’22 HOD experience, we will very likely need to hold a business session on Sunday morning in order to complete our deliberations and pass the gavel from Dr. Mehta to Dr. Pipia.

This letter is to make you all aware of significant deadlines which you may want to place on your calendars:

CREDENTIALING OF DELEGATES
We ask that you provide the names of your delegates to our MSSNY office no later than Monday, November 28. This deadline allows us to organize the data and consider reference committee appointments.

Please be sure your delegates are bonafide, paid MSSNY members to ensure they can participate. If someone will be serving for the first time, please indicate that when you send your delegate credentials. Send credentialing info to: Michael Reyes

Please provide information about interest your delegates have in serving on an HOD reference committee. Reference committee appointments will be completed in early January and we will want to ensure those who have an interest are considered. Your recommendations are vital to this process.

RESOLUTION DEADLINE
Resolutions will be due no later than Wednesday, March 1 2023. Resolutions can be submitted at any time but will be considered late if submitted after close of business (5 PM) on that Wednesday. Information regarding proper style and other criteria will be posted to the MSSNY website. Please follow those instructions and most importantly be sure to research the subject matterthoroughly, citing your research and existing MSSNY policy at the end of the resolution.

For now, these two deadlines should be your most critical concerns and we ask that you make a note of them on your calendars. Your cooperation allows the business of the House to move forward efficiently.